“to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge…” —Ephesians 3:19a NKJV
There is a love that only God can give. This love was expressed when Jesus emptied Himself of His glory and privilege of being one with the Father and came to earth. It was the same love that led Jesus to the cross where He laid down His life for us. Now this love is seen in our resurrected Lord who is seated at the right hand of God and making intercession on our behalf.
There is no one and nothing that can come close to this kind of love. The world may boast that they know better than God. They offer substitutes in relationships, experiences, pleasures, and many other things but it all falls short. There is no substitute for the genuine love of God. Many Christians may know that God loves them but there is an experiential knowledge that goes far beyond our mental acknowledgment. This is what our prayer and our aim are for you in 2023, that you would have such a deep and impacting experience of God’s love that it far surpasses any mere thought or intellectual understanding of what God’s love is. Throughout the year we have church services, events, small groups, and outreaches that are designed to grow you in your experience with the love of God. This love will spill out of your life into the people around you. More than just attending a church service, which is important, love will drive you to serve, give, relate with others and grow up into a mature believer.
In the pages of this magazine, you can find out about all of the ministries as well as find tools to help you grow in both the knowledge and experience of God’s love. As you do it won’t be long before you are looking to express that love to others. You will find many ways to express it in church, in the community, and out to the world through our various outreaches and missions programs.
The Rock is a great church because God’s love has been poured out on us. We are nothing without it! We love you and can’t wait to see the power of God’s love moving in your life.
